Soneium plans native token and tokenized entertainment IP platform

What happened

Soneium, the Ethereum layer 2 network built by Sony Group and Startale Group, announced on Oct. 26 that it plans to issue a native token called SONEIUM and expand into tokenized entertainment rights. The announcement, reported by Crypto.news and Bitcoin.com News, covers music, anime, games, collectibles and other creative works. Soneium has not set a launch date for the token or disclosed its supply, distribution or token generation event details, and it confirmed that no token has been issued yet.

The centerpiece is a framework Soneium calls Tokenized IP. It is designed to put intellectual property and its economic value onchain. Creators and entertainment companies could issue IP Tokens tied to individual artists, studios or specific titles. Depending on how they are structured, the tokens could work as digital collectibles that signal fandom or as fungible assets that circulate inside a property's economy. Some offerings may include automated revenue sharing for eligible participants.

The first project uses Moriusa, a character owned by Tokyo-based Super State Holdings. Soneium said the initiative would support merchandise, animated shorts and licensing, with fans potentially helping fund those activities. Soneium is also preparing IP Vault, which would offer indirect access to entertainment investments such as music catalog funds, and IP Bond, which would involve bonds backed by entertainment businesses. A partnership with South Korean company DayOneDream aims to bring K-pop concert royalties onchain through DayOneDream's WAVIST platform.

Soneium Portal will let users discover tokenized entertainment projects and take part in financing. It will start with primary sales before adding fan participation and royalty distribution. The products sit on an Onchain IP Architecture with three parts: an IP Registry for records of works and ownership, an IP Graph for links between original content, derivatives and collaborations, and an IP Execution Layer for licensing payments and revenue distributions through smart contracts. Soneium also intends to support ERC-8432, a proposed Ethereum standard that lets applications and autonomous AI agents read licensing terms and verify agreements across platforms.

Why it matters

Soneium's plan is aimed at giving entertainment companies another way to raise funds against their intellectual property while letting supporters take part in the commercial activity around individual works. It also proposes automated royalty payments and clearer licensing terms, which Soneium said could help creators manage how their work is used as AI-generated and AI-assisted content becomes more common. The network said existing copyright protections would continue to apply. Yuji Kumagai, head of Soneium Protocol, said the company wants to help creators finance new projects at a larger scale, try new forms of expression and find different ways to connect with fans.

The effort also gives Soneium a broader purpose beyond being a general-purpose blockchain. The network says its ecosystem already supports more than 250 applications across music, gaming, anime, film, collectibles and fan creations. The proposed token is meant to connect creators, IP owners, developers, fans and investors across that base.

What the data shows

The available figures sketch a network with existing activity but an unfinished token plan. Soneium cites more than 250 applications in its ecosystem. Startale's earlier transaction count topped 500 million. Sony Ventures' investment in Startale Group was $13 million. On the product side, WAVIST had already completed the issuance, redemption and burning of a tokenized IP bond in May, though the companies have not disclosed the final terms or investor eligibility requirements for future Soneium offerings. Soneium has not published SONEIUM supply, distribution or a token generation event schedule.

Background

Soneium's entertainment push follows earlier work on its underlying network. The mainnet launched in January 2025. Sony Ventures made a $13 million investment in Startale Group through the Sony Innovation Fund in January, and Startale said at the time that Soneium had processed more than 500 million transactions since the mainnet launch. In April, Startale announced plans to integrate privacy features through Sunnyside Labs' Privacy Boost, which would let users make private transfers while keeping control of their assets. Soneium has also been working with DayOneDream since their partnership was announced in September.

What is still unclear

Several details remain open. The reports do not say when SONEIUM will launch, how it will be allocated or what its total supply will be. They also do not specify which investors will qualify for future tokenized IP offerings or how revenue-sharing arrangements will be structured for each product. Soneium said more information would come later.

What to watch

Soneium's official documentation states that any future SONEIUM issuance by the Soneium Foundation will remain subject to applicable laws and regulatory requirements. The company has not provided a timetable for a token generation event. Also worth watching is whether the Moriusa project and the DayOneDream K-pop royalty plans move from announced initiatives to live products with disclosed terms.

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